Half-centuries from captain Jatinder Singh and Mujibur Ali helped Oman defeat Nepal ‘A’ by 70 runs in their first practice match at the Upper Mulpani International Cricket Ground on Wednesday.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, Oman scored 280 for nine in the allotted 50 overs.

Jatinder made 58 off 48 balls, hitting nine fours and a six. He shared a 79-run opening partnership with Aqib Ilyas inside 14 overs. Ilyas scored 27 off 49 balls, including two boundaries. Left-arm spinner Santosh Yadav dismissed both openers.

Although Hammad Mirza was bowled by Shahab Alam for 5, Mujibur and Aamir Kaleem added 91 runs for the fourth wicket. Mujibur scored 72 off 85 balls, with four fours and three sixes, while Kaleem contributed 46 off 41 balls, including three boundaries and three sixes.

Wasim Ali scored 5, Vinayak Shukla 25, while Mohammad Nadeem and Hassnain Ali Shah were dismissed for 6 each. Jiten Kumar Ramanandi remained unbeaten on 17 off 16 balls, hitting one four and one six.

For Nepal, Aakash Chand took four wickets, conceding 31 runs in nine overs. Santosh took two wickets for 15 runs in six overs, while Shahab, Sher Malla, and Rashid Khan claimed one wicket each.

Despite half-centuries from captain Anil Sah and Ishan Pandey, Nepal ‘A’ were all out for 210 in 44.4 overs. Anil scored 50 off 64 balls, including five boundaries. He shared an 84-run opening stand with Tirtha Raj Das inside 18 overs. Tirtha scored 31 off 48 balls, hitting four fours.

Dev Khanal and Ishan added 86 runs for the third wicket. Dev scored 43 off 43 balls with three boundaries and a six, while Ishan made 52 off 62 balls, hitting three fours. However, Nepal ‘A’ failed to last the full 50 overs as wickets fell in quick succession.

Sundeep Jora scored 11. For Oman, Shakeel Ahmad took three wickets for 8 runs in four overs, while Nadeem Khan and Mujibur took two wickets each, conceding 42 runs in 10 overs and 25 in six overs, respectively.

The second match between the two teams will be played on Friday. The League 2 series featuring Nepal, Oman, and the UAE begins on Saturday. Oman will play their first match against the UAE on Monday.